tripinva said:
Why do they have to change to Ch. 42? Something wrong with 46?
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WHDH bumping Leno's new show, will air news at 10:00
- Thread starter TheRob
- Start date
Why do they have to change to Ch. 42? Something wrong with 46?
WTMU-LP already has a pending displacement app to go digital on 42.
There's no reason WWDP can't stay on 10 and use DTS relays to boost its signal to the north; if coordinated carefully with WMUR-DT 9, they could string a chain of DTS all the way up into New Hampshire.
(This also raises the question of whether Hearst could do a deal to put NBC on WMUR, expanding its cable footprint south into the rest of the market and using DTS - again, coordinated with WWDP - to extend its OTA signal as well.)
There's no reason WWDP can't stay on 10 and use DTS relays to boost its signal to the north; if coordinated carefully with WMUR-DT 9, they could string a chain of DTS all the way up into New Hampshire.
(This also raises the question of whether Hearst could do a deal to put NBC on WMUR, expanding its cable footprint south into the rest of the market and using DTS - again, coordinated with WWDP - to extend its OTA signal as well.)
M
Mario500
Guest
This news reminds of me of WEAR-TV not airing ABC's "World News" on Saturdays and Sundays for many years in favor of syndicated programming. As for WHDH-TV, more news is necessarily good for viewers.
A few thoughts:
The networks have the technological capability
of putting every time zone on a clock-time schedule;
theoretically, a 7-10 PM primetime in the East is possible,
but you have to look at viewing habits. Viewers in the
East are used to an 8-11 primetime, so I have my doubts
that NBC would change its lineup to put Leno on at 9 in
all time zones.
As for Jerry's telethon, CBS and NBC have made it almost
impossible to carry it: CBS has U.S. Open Tennis from 11
AM (ET) and NBC, the Deutsche Bank golf tournament from
2 or 3 PM (ET) on Labor Day. Not many affiliates are going
to pre-empt these events; especially when the golf tournament
is the first of the FedEx championship events. I've found, at
least in the South, that more and more stations (mostly CW and
MyNet affiliates) are carrying only the last eight or nine hours
of Jerry and MDA.
And don't forget, too, that 26 Fox affiliates (including mine,
WGHP/FOX8) delayed the Osbourne special, and I don't see
any disciplinary action being taken against them. I think if
Ed Ansin wants to pre-empt Leno that's his business; how does
Leno do in Boston at 11:35 anyway?
With so much concern about production costs, news is the way
to go for most local stations, since the costs can be controlled.
You can also see it in the proliferation of reality shows and the cancellation
of "Guiding Light" because the low ratings no longer justified production
costs. But there's one thing I've said before and will say again: I'd like
to see ABC do a U.S. version of CBC's "The National/The Journal" from 10 to
11: combine "World News" (give 6:30 back to the affiliates) and "Nightline,"
then move Jimmy Kimmel to 11:35.
The networks have the technological capability
of putting every time zone on a clock-time schedule;
theoretically, a 7-10 PM primetime in the East is possible,
but you have to look at viewing habits. Viewers in the
East are used to an 8-11 primetime, so I have my doubts
that NBC would change its lineup to put Leno on at 9 in
all time zones.
As for Jerry's telethon, CBS and NBC have made it almost
impossible to carry it: CBS has U.S. Open Tennis from 11
AM (ET) and NBC, the Deutsche Bank golf tournament from
2 or 3 PM (ET) on Labor Day. Not many affiliates are going
to pre-empt these events; especially when the golf tournament
is the first of the FedEx championship events. I've found, at
least in the South, that more and more stations (mostly CW and
MyNet affiliates) are carrying only the last eight or nine hours
of Jerry and MDA.
And don't forget, too, that 26 Fox affiliates (including mine,
WGHP/FOX8) delayed the Osbourne special, and I don't see
any disciplinary action being taken against them. I think if
Ed Ansin wants to pre-empt Leno that's his business; how does
Leno do in Boston at 11:35 anyway?
With so much concern about production costs, news is the way
to go for most local stations, since the costs can be controlled.
You can also see it in the proliferation of reality shows and the cancellation
of "Guiding Light" because the low ratings no longer justified production
costs. But there's one thing I've said before and will say again: I'd like
to see ABC do a U.S. version of CBC's "The National/The Journal" from 10 to
11: combine "World News" (give 6:30 back to the affiliates) and "Nightline,"
then move Jimmy Kimmel to 11:35.
bpatrick said:
It looks really bad on Canadian stations when local news is becoming more and more lucrative for all these American stations, and Canadian stations are desperately trying to dump any local programming they can. The American economy is worse off than the Canadian economy, and yet all the Canadian station operators are acting like the local TV apocolypse is coming.
I get a sick feeling in another six years, Americans will be enjoying more local news than ever before, while Canadian viewers (outside Toronto) will watch these American newscasts on cable/satellite in addition to national or Toronto-based newscasts, jumping for joy every time something to do with Canada is mentioned. Here in SW Ontario people already turn to the Detroit stations for severe storm coverage which have been known to include info for the Canadian side, because the stations here are pathetic.
Scott Fybush said:
Wouldn't it be easier still for NBC to put their affiliation on WNEU and operate it as an O&O? They could even boost it with an LPTV signal down in Boston. That station already has must-carry status throughout the market. They own the station outright, so the programming switch would be easy. Certainly an easier and faster solution than making deals over WWDP or (worse yet) trying to find another affiliate. Telemundo could go to a subchannel until another arrangement is found.
Though it's true that NBC would need to spend a lot of money to upgrade the station to the standards of a major market O&O, perhaps they will deem it worthwhile.
Either way, NBC can call Ansin's bluff - pretty easily. And, given that everyone else in the market except ABC (who certainly must be happy with Hearst-Argyle's management of WCVB) would be on an O&O - WHDH could find itself being another KRON without a country. That's not a good thing to be.
Scott Fybush said:
Since they're not a Class A, they don't get any protection. If someone else wanted 42, WTMU would be displaced.
Same problem in both situations. The contour of one does not overlap the tower of the other. 9 can't be expanded south due to WEDN and 10 can't be expanded north because of WENH.
Keep in mind that DTS stations are required to fill in a given contour, and that contour can't interfere with another station. I have to think a DTS for either one would turn into a nightmare.
- Trip
Scott Fybush said:
I suppose if WWDP filed to move to ch. 42 with WHDH-DT's current facilities they could bump WTMU-LP. Haven't exhaustively checked occupancy of 42 and adjacent channels elsewhere in New England though. It's possible the FCC wouldn't approve the move due to post-transition interference.
In any case, I would suggest it would take **at least** a year to get approval for such a move, and would not be surprised if it would take closer to three years. Then there's time required to construct the new facility. Would Sunbeam cooperate by preserving, and then selling or leasing, the existing WHDH-DT 42 facility? Or would they dismantle it after June? I don't remember whether WHDH owns or lease their tower -- if they're leasing I can pretty much guarantee you NBC would be starting from scratch in building a WWDP-DT 42 facility.
I don't see where DTS would be able to *expand* the coverage of any of these stations much beyond its existing authorized -DT coverage. DTS coverage is (as I recall) restricted to the stations' current analog coverage. WMUR's analog coverage *slightly* exceeds its digital, but not by much. WWDP's *digital* coverage exceeds its *analog*. WNEU could swing a minor improvement, similar to that of WMUR.
(not that DTS wouldn't be useful: it would allow any of these stations to establish a strong signal from the existing Newton-area tower farm. Viewers in this area (the few who are using OTA(grin)) are used to strong OTA signals - are used to not needing the large antennas that would be necessary for good reception from a New Hampshire transmitter.)
A WWDP/WMUR or WWDP/WNEU pair would certainly make sense from a technical standpoint. Either one seems problematical from a non-technical standpoint though.
NBC had much better options in Miami and San Francisco - there were existing stations with news reputations they could flip to. A reasonable number of viewers were used to watching channel 7/Miami or channel 11/San Jose. They really don't have that option in Boston. Pretty much nobody watches channel 60 unless they speak Spanish (even then I would imagine channel 27 is a LOT more popular) and I doubt more than a tiny handful of people watch channel 46 regardless of language preference...
On the other hand, NBC has to be VERY scared right now that WHDH won't be the last affiliate considering dropping Leno.
I wonder if the easy way out is for NBC to allow affiliates to swap the 10 and 11pm blocks -- to go ahead & run their local late news at 10 ET and then follow it with Leno.
I think *someone* is going to blink on this one. I just don't know who.
(of course, the other possibility is that prime-time Leno surprises everyone and becomes a big success. Nobody's tried this before - it might just work...)
I
imhomerjay
Guest
w9wi said:
It appears they proposed a delay, but NBC is, understandably, not all that interested in that arrangement.
There is a significant difference between pre-empting one limited run show over content concerns and rejecting, sight unseen, a show five nights per week.
Indeed, basically telling NBC that you're taking back one hour of prime-time during each weekday is a very bold move. Ansin surely knew that NBC would throw a fit when he proposed the idea and he surely understands the potential implications of such a move. A peek at WHDH's website shows a headline about 7 News at 10 on 7 and 56, starting in September. Personally, I don't think that's the smartest programming move - but I am sure that there's a lot more to this than just the 10 pm hour.
This is going to be one hell of a game of chicken.
This is going to be one hell of a game of chicken.
w9wi said:
I remember when NBC allowed only Minneapolis and Birmingham to delay
Johnny Carson. Maybe NBC said "no" to WHDH tape-delaying the show.
But as for an affiliate carrying all network programming, which I prefer,
you still have to look at the ratings. If a network show isn't performing,
the affiliate ought to be able to pre-empt it and put on something that will;
that's been the rule up until recent years as the networks have cracked
down on pre-emptions. It's also why I asked how Leno does in Boston.
This one is a special case though. Every night, for an hour, in prime time.
I don't know that there is a past example of such a thing under these particular circumstances. Most of the examples cited above involve a single show once a week or late-night programming (in the past). The ABC affiliate I worked for didn't program Nightline at 10:35 until sometime in the late 1990s. When I worked there, it was at 12:35 am - after Magnum P.I. and some sitcom reruns. ABC applied gentle pressure about it for years. And, it took new ownership for Nightline to show up after the news. But, that's not the same thing as is happening here. If anything, affiliates are far less likely to delay or pre-empt late night network programming than they were back in, say, 1985.
This is an affiliate saying that they are cutting network prime time short by one hour (33%). That's a big deal. As for Leno's popularity in Boston, my understanding was always that he did just fine there. I don't think that's the real story here.
I don't know that there is a past example of such a thing under these particular circumstances. Most of the examples cited above involve a single show once a week or late-night programming (in the past). The ABC affiliate I worked for didn't program Nightline at 10:35 until sometime in the late 1990s. When I worked there, it was at 12:35 am - after Magnum P.I. and some sitcom reruns. ABC applied gentle pressure about it for years. And, it took new ownership for Nightline to show up after the news. But, that's not the same thing as is happening here. If anything, affiliates are far less likely to delay or pre-empt late night network programming than they were back in, say, 1985.
This is an affiliate saying that they are cutting network prime time short by one hour (33%). That's a big deal. As for Leno's popularity in Boston, my understanding was always that he did just fine there. I don't think that's the real story here.
I'll buy that, but for those who say it's the end of
the line for WHDH and NBC, remember that ABC
didn't dump WSB, WSOC, or WFTV when they didn't
carry Jimmy Kimmel. Of course, he wasn't and isn't
on in prime time, so that could cause a problem in
the WHDH/Leno case. I guess the best I can say,
since I lost WHDH when DirecTV bought Primestar,
is stay tuned for further developments.
the line for WHDH and NBC, remember that ABC
didn't dump WSB, WSOC, or WFTV when they didn't
carry Jimmy Kimmel. Of course, he wasn't and isn't
on in prime time, so that could cause a problem in
the WHDH/Leno case. I guess the best I can say,
since I lost WHDH when DirecTV bought Primestar,
is stay tuned for further developments.
bpatrick said:
ABC is more tolerant of preemptions then NBC. ABC gives the Cox stations a lot of wiggle room because they are strong performers. NBC's attitude can be described as bitchy...air our programs or else! Each network has a different philosophy on preemptions. ABC and CBS are more tolerant than NBC and Fox are (Fox stripped several affilates of their affiliations in the early-90's for refusing to air "Cops" on Saturday Night)
As for preemptions...this appears to be a dicey issue. FCC policy from the 50's says that affiliates can preempt network programming. This was created out of a fear that networks would become too powerful and there would be no local programming. I don't know how much of this is still FCC policy today. That said, regardless of FCC policy, NBC still has the right to take their affiliation elsewhere at the end of the contract.
NBC's bad performance in the late 70's led WSB-TV and WSOC to switch to ABC (I don't think Cox owned WFTV at the time). I wonder how many affiliates will consider a network switch once their deals with NBC are up if NBC does not improve in the ratings.
Remember KRON...when NBC was mad that they were outbid, they got bitchy and made demands. When KRON refused, they went elsewhere. WSVN (Ansin's flagship) lost their affiliation when NBC was ticked off at preemptions. I am surprised KSL-TV/Salt Lake, owned by the LDS/Mormon church, still has an NBC affiliation, given how they preempt (no Saturday Night Live, which airs on another station from what I read). NBC doesn't like preemptions, and has a bad attitude about it.
Even if WHDH does a 180 and decides to air Leno at 10 PM...I still don't see them as an NBC affiliate in five years. If you read between the tea leaves, Ansin is basically saying "I want my money...and Leno will cost me money".
Someone on the New England TV Board posted this article and to me it seems NBC is almost ready to yank their network off of WHDH. http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/04/nbc_boston_will.html
I read some of the comments on the links regarding Leno and WHDH. Some people said it will be bad for WHDH. And some said bye, RIP to WHDH for not planning on airing Leno. Maybe WHDH will air Leno at 10pm with the threats from NBC. I don't see why they just don't stick with Leno and see how he does at 10pm. What if its a strong ratings draw that would be great for the 11pm newscast. Lets see what happens.
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